AMECAFÉ: In Search of the Best Electronic Signature Service

“We switched to Mifiel because it represented an advantage in terms of time, costs, maintenance, and ease of integration with our systems.”
_{Daniel Pérez, ICT Engineer at AMECAFÉ}

More and more companies are choosing to use advanced electronic signatures because, compared to conventional signatures, they provide greater legal support and security for documents. However, because it is a relatively new technology, many people do not know how to choose the most suitable service.

We interviewed our clients at AMECAFÉ, one of the early adopters of this technology. In this article, they share their experience with different systems and offer their perspective on what features you should look for when hiring a secure and reliable electronic signature service. They also tell us why they decided to switch to Mifiel.

The Logistical Obstacles Faced by a National Association

The Mexican Association of the Coffee Production Chain (AMECAFÉ) is responsible for connecting producers, exporters, customs agents, and other stakeholders within the coffee industry.

We had the opportunity to speak with Daniel Pérez and Miguel Ángel Ruiz, ICT Engineers at AMECAFÉ. Regarding the Association, they commented, "a fundamental part of the work at the Association is the creation of agreements between the associates and AMECAFÉ."

For AMECAFÉ, sending documents to their associates was complicated and expensive, given that they have an average of 300 to 350 associates. Most of these associates are distributed across various states such as Oaxaca, Chiapas, and Veracruz. Consequently, shipping costs and wait times began to hinder their workflow.

The Challenges of Digital Transformation

In 2012, AMECAFÉ entered a new era of technological innovation by incorporating electronic signatures into their operations. This helped them overcome the inconveniences of sending documents the traditional way.

While researching advanced electronic signatures, they found a "Certification Service Provider" (PSC) that, in addition to generating private certificates, also allowed them to sign using the FIEL.

Their initial experience with this PSC was not entirely satisfactory. "With the other service, we had to set up a server, a database, and handle the maintenance ourselves," Daniel mentioned, which resulted in high costs in terms of time and technical resources. Furthermore, there were additional charges for annual licenses, training, and regular service maintenance.

Their associates also began to complain, as using this service required clients to meet specific hardware requirements. Some of these included having an operating system that allowed for the installation of third-party software and keeping it updated.

Because their expectations were not being met, they decided to look for a change and found Mifiel.

Seeking a better electronic signature service

AMECAFÉ saw several qualities in the Mifiel platform that solved the problems they had with their previous provider.

Daniel commented: "[Mifiel] is a great service, especially because it is innovative and makes use of current technologies like REST APIs (a technology that facilitates the exchange of messages or data between two applications)," as the Association was looking to integrate the signing process directly into their website.

Another issue they were able to resolve was the difficulty their clients had accessing the service, since other providers use components like Java applets, Silverlight, or Flash, which require installing third-party software. In contrast, with Mifiel, all you need is an internet connection and an updated browser.

Improving their workflow

The Mifiel platform has improved their relationship with associates, as distance is no longer a factor. They can now have direct, personal interaction with each one of them.

For the Association, using the platform also resulted in improved performance. Daniel told us that they have streamlined their workflow using the Mifiel app. Now, instead of waiting days to get an agreement, it only takes a few minutes.

Furthermore, they are notified almost immediately when an associate signs a document, as the app sends real-time notifications.